ORD ORD 
spiciious ridse; the stamens soon change to power, defines the second order of lines, 
a brownish hue ; the anthers are club shaped, which are the conic sections and circle : 
and are divided as in most otliers, the gland the cubic equation, or third power, defines 
at the base of the filament is of a circular 
form, with a cavity on its inner side : the 
roots of this species are well caculated for 
making salep. 
ORDEAL, was anciently a form of trial, 
and was of two sorts ; either fire ordeal, or 
water ordeal; the former being confined to 
persons of higher rank, the latter to the 
common people. Both these might be per- 
formed by deputy, but the principal was to 
.answer for the success of the trial ; the de- 
puty only venturing some corporeal pain 
for hire, or perhaps for friendship. Fire 
ordeal was performed either by taking up 
in the hand a piece of red hot iron, of one, 
two, or three pounds weight; or else by 
walking barefoot and blindfold over nine 
red hot ploughshares, laid at uiiequal dis- 
tances; and if the party escaped unhurt, he 
was adjudged innocent; if not, he was con- 
demned as guilty. Water ordeal was per- 
formed, either by plunging the bare arm up 
to the elbow in boiling water, and escaping 
unhurt thereby, or by casting the person sus- 
pected into a river or pond of water; and if 
he floated, without any action of swimming, 
it was deemed an evidence of his guilt; but 
if he sunk he was acquitted. This trial 
by ordeal was abolished by parliament 
anno 3 Henry III. 
ORDER, in architecture, is a system of 
the several members, ornaments and pro- 
portions of columns and pilasters; or a re- 
gular arrangement of the projecting parts 
of a building, especially the column, so as 
to form one beautiful whole. There are 
five orders of columns, of which three are 
Greek, viz- the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, 
and two Roman, the Tuscan and Compo- 
site. The three Greek orders represent 
the three dift’erent manners of building, viz. 
the solid, the delicate, and that which is 
between the two. See Architecture. 
Order, in astronomy. A planet is said 
to go according to the order of the signs 
when it is direct, proceeding from Aries to 
Taurus, thence to Gemini, &c. It goes 
contrary to the order of the signs when it is 
retrograde, or goes backward from Pisces 
to Aquarius. 
Order, in geometry, is denominated 
from the rank or order of the equation by 
which the geometrical line is expressed : 
thus the simple equation, or first power, 
denotes the first order of lines, which is a 
right line: the quadratic equation, or second 
the third order of lines; and so on. Or the 
orders of lines are denominated from the 
number of points in which they may be 
cut by a right line. Thus the right line is 
of the first order, because it can be cut only » 
in one point by a right line : the circle and 
conic sections are of the second order, be- 
cause they can be cut in two points by a 
right line; while those of the third order 
are such as can be cut in three points by a 
right line. 
Order, in botany, the first subdivision 
of a class in the Linnaean system, founded 
on the number of styles or female organs. 
The orders of Linnseus are all expressed by 
a single term, which, like the names of 
the classes, is of Greek etymology, and is 
significant of the character of the order to 
which it is applied. The names of these 
orders are often different in different classes, 
because the same idea predominates in tlieir 
institution. > 
ORDINANCE, or Ordonmnce, a law, 
statute, or command of a sovereign or supe- 
rior. 
ORDINARY, in the civil law, signifies 
any judge that hath authority to take cog- 
nizance of causes in his own right, as he 
is a magistrate, and not by deputation ; but 
in the common law it is taken for him who 
has exempt and immediate jurisdiction in 
causes ecclesiastical. 
ORDINARY, or honourable Ordinary, in 
heraldry, a denomination given to certain 
charges properly belonging to that art. 
The honourable ordinaries are ten in num- 
ber; viz. the chief, pale, hend, sesse, bar, 
cross, saltier, chevron, bordure, and orle, 
' For which see Heraldry, &c. 
ORDINATES, in geometry, are right 
lines drawn parallel to each other, and cut- 
ting the curve in a certain number of points. 
Parallel ordinates are usually all cut by 
some other line, which is called an absciss. 
When this line is a diameter of the curve, 
the property of the ordinates is then the 
most remarkable ; for, in the curves of the 
first kind, or the conic sections and circle, 
the ordinates are all bisected by the dia- 
meter, making the part on one side of it 
equal to the part on the other side of it; 
and in the curves of the second order, 
which may be cut in three points by an 
ordinate, then of the three parts of the 
ordinate, lying between these three inter- 
